December Bells
by gilmorelove22
Summary: HOLD IT TOGETHER SEQUEL: LITERATI & JAVA JUNKIE Lorelai & Luke are planning their wedding. Rory's going back to school. Trouble's bound to arise
1. The Lorelais Plan For The Future

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, I'm back in business! This story is the sequel to my first Literati fic, **Hold It Together**. The shit is going to hit the fan. Hope you guys like it. By the way.. it may be a little bit of time between updates, since school is back in session. So, bare with me.

**Disclaimer:** So, this is me, disclaiming. Everyone already knows that none of these characters are mine. Anything you recognize comes from the fabulous mind of Amy Sherman-Palladino & the rest of the staff that works on this wonderful show. Any new characters that you may see, not sure if there will be any yet, those are mine. So .. ENJOY!

**Chapter One: The Lorelais Plan For The Future, And Then Some**

"So, here's what I was thinking." Lorelai was speaking quickly, rushing back and forth through her kitchen. Rory was sitting at the table, sifting through what seemed like hundreds of papers, all covered in wedding details. "White lilies in the bouquets. Simple and beautiful. What do you think?" She shot Rory a look of concern, hoping to God that she would agree with her.

"I like it. Lilies are pretty."

"Pretty? I don't want pretty. I want perfect. I want fabulous."

"Lilies are perfectly fabulous."

"Nice." Lorelai threw the piece of paper that she was holding in her hand onto the table and rushed out of the kitchen. The other papers on the table flew up in the air, some landing on the floor. Rory bent down to pick them up and heard her mother's voice coming from the living room. "I'm going out, sweets," she started, "Luke and I have lunch reservations at two oclock in Hartford. Then we're stopping by Grandma's so that I can pick up the sweater that I left at her house the other night. Then," she said, almost out of breath, " We're stopping in at the hall to finalize a couple of things for the wedding." "

"You sure are getting a jump on things," Rory started, "the wedding's not until December."

I know. But knowing myself, I'm just going to leave everything until the last minute. So I'm doing it now, then I won't have to worry about it." she was practically out of breath."Do you need me to get you anything while I'm out?"

"You mean you don't have enough to do already?" Rory yelled back at her.

"You're an angel. I'll be back before dinner. I think." Lorelai kissed Rory on the forhead and walked out the door.

Rory heard Lorelai close the door behind her. She started to organize the papers on the table, but gave up half way in. She rose from her chair and walked toward her room. It was still all the same. It didn't matter that she'd gone off to college. It didn't matter that her mother had been engaged for three months. She knew for a fact, her room would never change.

At least not until Lorelai and Luke moved out.

Rory walked over and flopped onto her bed. Her sheets smelled like the spring scented detergent her mother had been buying for years. Familiar smells always made Rory feel more at home. As she rolled around in her bed, she began to think about her third year of college starting up again. Yale had become her second home, but it would be different this year. Her and her mother were the best of friends again. Now it seemed like she was leaving everything behind. Her mother, Luke, Jess. She'd moved back to school twice already, but for some reason, it was different this time. Yes, Paris would still be there, but so would Logan. She hadn't spoken to him since that day at her grandparents' house whe she told him that she was still in love with Jess. She tried to call him over and over, but he was obviously avoiding her. And he had every right to. She knew that she treated him like crap, and she didn't expect an apology to come out of her numerous calling. She actually didn't know what she expected. All she knew was she needed to talk to him.

Rory's thoughts of Logan and Yale were interrupted by a redundant knocking on the front door. She quickly rose from her bed and walked over to the double doors. She saw Jess's shilouette through the glass. She swung the door open, and he quickly swept her up into his embrace. He kissed her sweetly, and leaned his head back without letting go of her waist. "Hi," he said, and smiled.

"Hi." She wiggled out of his arms and lead him into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, slowly untwisting the cap. "So, how was your weekend? Do anything interesting?"

"Oh, let me tell you," Jess started. "Update: My mother's still crazy and T.J. still gets on my nerves" Jess raised his arm and began to scratch his head. "I don't even remember why I went to visit them." Jess walked over to Rory, and kissed her cheek, "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Rory said, pulling away from him. She walked over to the tiny kitchen table, pulled out a chair, and sat. She started to fiddle with the cap of her water bottle.

Rory saw Jess looking at her oddly. "What?"

"Are you okay?" he said with a smirk on his face.

"What? Yeah, why?" she said, almost sounding guilty.

Jess raised his hands and shrugged, "Just asking." he scuffed his feet along the floor and walked over to the kitchen table. He unzipped his sweatshirt and took it off, laying it on the back of a chair. He leaned over to Rory and took the bottle of water out of her hand, placing it on the kitchen table top. Rory looked up at him. "Where's your mom?" he asked, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Her and Luke went to Hartford for the day." she said, trying not to smile.

Jess lowered his lips and kissed her gently, then more passionately. He ran his hands through her long, brown hair, then down to the small of her back. He pulled her in close to him, breathing long, hot breaths into her mouth. He pulled back and looked down at her. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Rory smiled and took his hand, leading him into her room. She closed the door, locking the knob. _This year's going to be fine,_ she thought, _just fine._

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"Lucassssssssssssssss! Come on! Hurry up!." Lorelai and Luke were walking down a crowded street in Hartford, on their way to the restaurant. Lorelai's pace was rushed, and Luke was manifestly falling behind. He became sick of being so far behind Lorelai that he sprinted up to her.

"Why are you walking so damn fast?" he asked, almost out of breath.

"Oh," she started, waving her had in the air in a passive manner, "you're such a wimp. This isn't fast, this is normal walking speed. Back in my day, we used to walk twenty miles and hour just to get to school. I lived forty-five miles away, and it took me fifteen minutes to walk there."

"Uh huh," Luke said, sarcastically. He watched his crazy girlfriend.. fiancé. They'd been engaged for almost three months, and he still wasn't used to the word. A December wedding was what she'd wanted her whole life. She wanted a light sprinkle of snow on the ground, she wanted the magic of the holiday season to be in the air. She loved that darn snow, and she was determined to have it surrounding their wedding day.

When they finally got to the front door of the restaurant, Lorelai took Luke's hand and kissed him. "I love you so much." she said softly in his ear. Luke simply smiled at her, and she knew he loved her too.


	2. Those Words You Never Meant To Say

**Chapter Two: Those Words You Never Meant To Say**

Luke sat across the table from Lorelai and watched her eat her meal. She seemed to be rushing through her lunch, as if the end of the world were coming. He slowly let his eyes wander to the low cut neckline of her maroon sweater, and the necklace that hung around her neck. On the thin, silver chain hung a beautifully detailed silver locket in the shape of an oval. There were tiny diamonds that formed in the shape of a small snowflake right in the center of it. It was just as elegant and beautful as Lorelail. He had bought it for her as an engagement present. He remembered what she said when she opened it. Her eyes lit up and she looked up at him and simply said, "It's perfect. I love it." She eventually placed a picture on each side of the inside. The first picture was of the two of them ice skating, and the second picture was of Rory.

"What are you looking at?"

Lorelais' curious words startled Luke, and he slowly snapped out of his thoughts of the locket. He looked up at her, "Uh.. nothing."

"Well, well, Luke Danes, I am appaled."

"Uhm, what?" Luke was confused.

Lorelai lowered her voice to a low whisper. "You were looking down my shirt. Sorry buddy, but this isn't The Moulin Rouge, mister."

"What are you talking about? You're crazy."

"Mhmm.. keep it in your pants, at least until the waiter isn't looking." Lorelai picked up her wine glass, took one last sip, and stood up. Luke looked up, confused. "Come on, let's go." Lorelai said.

Luke looked down at his watch. "We haven't even been here for twenty minutes yet. Don't you want to finish your lunch, maybe get some dessert?"

"Luke, I told my mom that I'd be at her house to get my sweater by 3:00. It's 2:40 and their house is ten minutes from here. We have no time."

"Oh that's ridiculous, so what if we're a little bit late?"

Lorelai chuckled. "You know my mother, if I'm there at 3:01 she'll throw a fit. Let's go." Lorelai got up and walked over to the front desk to pay the check. Even though her mother had said those heart felt things to her a couple of months ago, there was still no improvement in their relationship. It was as if she'd never said anything at all. She started going back to Friday night dinners by Rory's request, but nothing had changed. The sad part was, she never expected her mother to handle the situation any different.

When Emily had apologized to Lorelai, Rory couldn't be happier. She thought it meant that they'd have a good relationship and there would be no more bickering or blaming everything on eachother. Lorelai knew different. She knew that her mother had just set Rory up for diasppointment, and that made her even madder.

She knew this would happen because it had happened before, around the time that she was with Max. When she asked her mother for her opinion on a veil. She told her mother the way she had felt, and Emily seemed like she was responding. Later she found out, it was just the calm before the storm. Just like this situation.

Lorelai's thoughts came to a hault when she felt Luke's hand run up her back. "Ready to go?" she asked, turning to him.

"Yupp," Luke said as he nodded his head. He took her hand and lead her out to the car.

----------------------------------------------------

The Gilmore house looked as large as ever, towering over Luke's tiny truck. He hated this house. he hated the people inside of it and the way that they made Lorelai feel. He hated the look that she got on her face every time they pulled into the drive way, and every time the subject of her parents got up. If he could change one thing about Lorelai, it would be the relationship she has with her parents.

The sound of the engine shutting off rang through the truck. "Do you want me to come in with you?" Luke asked.

"Uhm, sure, if you want." Lorelai knew he didn't want to, that he would never want to. But she knew even better that Luke never wanted to leave her stranded in the Gilmore house. She could be in there forever.

"Alright." Luke unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door. Once he was out of the truck, he slammed the door behind him, and walked over to Lorelai, taking her hand in his. The two walked up the path to the huge front door, wishing that they could be anywhere else but here. Lorelai took comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone in not wanting to go to her parents' house. Usually, on Friday nights, Rory loved going to dinner, while she just couldn't wait until it was over. Now she could complain along with Luke. She could put on a fake smile along with Luke, and talk about her parents with Luke after they left. It was a wonderful thing in the mind of Lorelai Gilmore.

The sound of the door bell rang in Luke's ears. They two stood and waited until someone answered the door. A new face swung the door open. Another one of Emily's maids. This one looked afraid, as some of them tended to look. Luke felt her pain. She directed them to the living room, where Emily was on the phone.

As they walked into the huge, and beautifully furnished living room, Luke saw Emily, facing the mantle, on the telephone. Probably one of those women from the DAR, he still had no idea what that was.

"No, I said tables of twelve, not eight. Why don't you just listen the first time, then we won't have to have these extremely annoying arguments." Emily, said, angrily. "Okay, well do it fast and call me back."

She pressed a button on the phone, hanging it up and turned around. Not knowing that Luke and Lorelai were in the room, she jumped back at the sight of them. "Oh! Lorelai!"

"Hi, Mom." she said, with a false smile.

"Hello Luke," Emily said, with a disgusted look on her face, glaring at the two still holding hands.

"Hey, Mrs. Gilmore." Luke responded, trying to sound as happy as possible.

"How are the two of you?" Emily asked, "How are the wedding plans going?"

"Uhm, they're fine. We're actually going to the hall now to do a couple of things." Luke said, forever trying to get on her good side by answering all of her questions completely and appropriately.

"Well, that's good. And how is the diner? Still as busy as ever?"

"Uhm, Mom, I came to get my sweater that I left here the other night." Lorelai said, interrupting Emily, in an attempt to get Luke out a conversation that she knew he didn't want to be a part of.

"Oh, that's right. Well, it's over on the back of that chair." Emily pointed to a Victorian looking rocker, with flowers neatly carved into the wood. Lorelai walked over to it and picked up the white, heavy sweater that she'd had for years.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Do you want to stay for some tea? Laura is in the middle of making some."

"Oh, we'd love to, but we really do have to get to the hall. Lots of stuff to do."

"Okay, well, I'll see you and Rory on Friday night."

"See you Friday, Mom."

"Bye Mrs. Gilmore, tell Mr. Gilmore I said hello." Luke said, waving and walking toward the door.

"I'll be sure to do that."


	3. Call You Up, Ease My Mind

**December Bells Chapter 3: Call You Up, Ease My Mind**

Rory was lying in her bed, wrapped in Jess's arms. She was thinking how safe she felt with him. Not like it used to be. She used to feel like he'd leave her at any moment, which he did twice. But she knew now, how different things were. She could tell just by looking into Jess's eyes. They could break anyone's heart, but they wouldn't break hers again.

Rory felt the comfort and warmth that was Jess's palm, running up and down the side of her neck. She loved it when he did that. Jess shifted his body, ending up with both of his arms around Rory's waist, holding her close to him. She loved that even more. Rory's thoughts and worried about Yale and Logan, and leaving everyone this year for school were all gone from her head. Jess was the kind of person that could do that to you. He could make you forget all of your worries, just by looking at you. She started to remember the first time that she'd met Jess. Yes, he'd been an absolute ass to her mother, but there was just something about him. And when she'd met up with him by the town square that night, and realized that he wasn't just another dumb kid that would pass through her life without leaving any footprints, but somebody that she'd really be able to relate to, it sent shivers up her spine.

She loved the way that her relationship with Jess evolved. With Dean, it was all too fast. He saw her, he liked her, he pursued her. That was it. But with Jess, there was a chase. There was that close friendship that was almost torture for the both of them. Knowing that they couldn't be together because Rory was taken. The fact that both of them knew that they had feelings for each other, that it was mutual, but they acted as if they didn't mean anything to each other. Just friends. Rory was just another person that he could talk to about books, someone to entertain him. And Jess was just the guy that she occasionally laughed with, but drove her boyfriend absolutely crazy.

She loved how Jess made it known to everyone that nothing in the world mattered to him, except for Rory. The times that he came back for her. The things that he said to her. She loved being wanted. And, after a while, that feeling of desire usually dies down somewhat. But with Jess, it was always there. She didn't know why. But it kept her alive.

The two sat there, in silence, for a while. But, there was nothing weird about it. It wasn't an awkward silence, forced on them upon lack of conversation. It was a safe, warm silence. The kind of silence that people look forward to. Then Jess interrupted the silence. He leaned over Rory, turning on her stereo.

"What are you doing?" she asked. But Jess didn't answer her. He simply leaned down & kissed her sweetly on the forehead. He leaned back over to his jacket which was lying on the floor. He went in the pocket and slipped out a CD. "What's that?" Rory asked, still not knowing what he was doing. But she was sure of one thing, he looked good doing it.

"I made you something." Jess said, sliding the CD into the stereo. Soon, the room was filled with a song.

_"Imagine me and you, I do_

_I think about you day and night, it's only right_

_To think about the girl you love, and hold her tight_

_So happy together"_

Rory smiled. Jess buried his face into Rory's neck, leaning on her. He sat up suddenly and Rory laughed as he began to sing.

_"I can't see me loving nobody but you, for all my life"_

Rory joined in

_"When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue, for all my life."_

Rory lifted her head and kissed Jess. With Dean, things eventually became calm. With Logan, things eventually became calm. Logan was a bit of a chase too, but not as much. The chase was the commitment, not the boy. Her and Logan were pretty much a couple off the bat. There was a occasional flirting, and yes, a little bit of teasing. But it was almost like what Dead had did. He saw her, he liked her, he pursued her. And, Rory could tell that it wasn't the real thing with Logan, because the second that Jess stepped back into her life, she knew she'd end up with him. It was hard to let go of Logan, but it was so much easier to go back to Jess.

With Jess, things were exciting. Things were fun, and at the end of the day, he always let her know how much he cared about her.

Jess looked up at her. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, nothing." Rory said, blushing at the thought of Jess knowing that she was worshiping him in her mind.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I just.. I like us."

Jess smiled and kissed her again on the forehead. "Okay," he paused, "I have to go to work."

"No," Rory said in a childish way. "Stay for ten more minutes."

"I wish I could. Can't though." He said, twirling her hair between his fingers. "I'm already late."

"You stink." Rory replied, scrunching up her nose and trying to make a face, but she failed. She began to sat up and reached to the floor for her shirt.

"What are you doing?" Jess asked her, curiously.

"Uhm.. I'm getting dressed," Rory said, confused why he was asking.

"You look tired, why don't you go to sleep? You have nothing to do today, right?"

"Well, thank you. I like the tired look."

"I just meant that you should relax. You go back to school soon, and you won't be able to rest."

"Exactly.Yale," she started while she pulled her shirt over her head and zipped the fly on her jeans. "I'm going back to Yale."

"Yes, you are," he chuckled.

"Well, that means that I won't be able to see you as much." suddenly, she felt out of breath. "Which means that I want to spend as much time with you that I can before I have to go back. So, how about I finish getting dressed, and walk you over to Luke's."

"Why?"

"Just because I want to. I'll have lunch in the diner."

"Rory, you really don't have to do that. You can just stay here and relax."

"But I want to!" she said. "Don't you want me to?"

"Of course I'd love you to walk me back to Luke's and then hang in the diner. But, I don't want you to feel obligated to have to hang around with me all of the time because you're leaving soon."

"I don't feel obligated. I just want to."

"Okay then. I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Finish getting ready, then we'll go."

"Okay." She walked over to Jess and kissed his cheek. She watched him as he left her room. She started to feel guilty. She felt guilty that right before Jess came over, she was thinking about Logan. She still felt guilty that she was leaving Jess for school. _Don't flatter yourself, Gilmore! He doesn't need you to survive,_ she thought. She went over to her vanity and fixed her hair and makeup. She opened her jewelry box and took out the necklace that Jess had given her last month. He had just surprised her with it, and when she asked him why he got her a gift, he said simply because he loves her and because he wanted to. She twirled the thin silver chain between her fingers. The charm was a locket in the shape of a heart. When he'd given it to her, he'd placed a tiny picture of the two of them on one side, and on the other, a picture of her and her mother. He'd said "You don't have to keep the pictures in there, I just didn't want it to be empty." But she kept them, because they were perfect.

Lorelai & Rory eventually realized that Luke and Jess had gone jewelry shopping together. They laughed about the images in their heads for hours.


	4. I'm Not The Desperate Type

**Author's Note: **Short chapter.

**December Bells Chapter 4: I'm Not The Desperate Type**

The familiar sound of the bell hanging over the entry way to Luke's Diner rang as Rory stepped outside into the late summer air. Rory looked down at her cell phone to see who it was that was calling her, but the screen said that the number was restricted. She picked it up curiously, "Hello?" No answer. "Hello?" she said again. No answer. Then she heard the dial tone, telling her that whoever it was had hung up. She closed her phone and walked back into the diner. She sat down at the counter, where she'd been sitting before, and continued to eat her cheeseburger.

Jess came over to the counter, wiping his hands on a towel. "Was that your mom?" he said, gesturing to Rory's cell phone.

"No, whoever it was listened to me say hello twice and then just hung up."

"Probably a prank." he said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Rory!"

Rory turned around at the sound of her voice being shouted, even though she knew it was Lorelai. "Hi, Mom."

Lorelai came over to the counter and sat down, kissing Rory on the forehead.

"What's the matter? You look like you just ran a mile."

"Well, it's nice to know that if I ever want the brutal truth, I'll just come to you."

"I mean you look tired," Rory said.

"Yes, well.. I am tired."

"Where's Luke?" Rory asked.

"Oh, he's paralyzed from the neck down and can never walk again. Thanks to Emily Gilmore."

"What? What happened?"

"My mother is evil, that's what happened," she shifted in her stool, "She still can't accept that fact that Luke and I are getting married. She looks at him like he's a bug. It's disgusting." She looked out the window and saw Luke walking toward the diner. "Shh, here he comes."

"So," Rory started, "How did the wedding plans go?"

"Oh, that was a disaster too. The woman who usually helps us whenever we go over there was sick today."

"Oh, scary substitute?"

"Uh.. yeah! This woman was wearing an eye patch!"

"No way!"

"Yes way," Luke said, reassuring Rory.

"Well, was she at least nice?"

"Yeah, she was nice," Lorelai said, "But she was old. And I couldn't help staring at her eye patch. She reminded me too much of a pirate. And I kind of think that she noticed that I was staring at it because she started giving me dirty looks and directing all of the questions at Luke."

"Well," Rory said, laughing, "Maybe she had a thing for Luke and wanted him to realize that he doesn't need a young, beautiful woman like you, but an old, eyeless woman like her."

"You two are terrible," Luke said, as Jess nodded his head in agreement.

"Well," Lorelai began, "You have to admit that you'd rather be marrying me, a woman of, let's say, good direction, than a woman with an eye patch."

Rory and Lorelai began laughing so hard that they had to clench their sides from pain. Their comical moment was interrupted by Rory's cell phone ringing. She looked up at Luke who was already directing her to the door. "Oh, come on Luke," Lorelai said, "She's almost your step daughter, shouldn't family get special exceptions to rules."

"Hey, I don't talk on my cell phone in here, so either should you."

"That's because no one ever calls you." Lorelai said in a baby voice."

"Nice," Luke said.

"It's okay, I'll just go outside."

"Hey, if it's someone pranking you again, tell them you'll call the cops or something the next time they do it, it always gets them to stop."

Rory got up and walked outside again. She quickly flipped open her phone and answered it, "Hello?"

There were a few seconds of hesitation, then, "Hello? Rory?"

"Yes, this is Rory. Who is this? I can't hear you."

"It's..." the static cut out the name.

"Hello? Who is this?" Rory said

"It's Logan."

Rory didn't answer him, from shock.

"Hello? Rory? Are you still there?"

"Uhm, yeah, I'm.. I'm here."

"Listen," Logan paused, "I know that it's weird for me to call you, but I just needed to talk. Do you think that we can meet?"

"Not now," Rory said, as she saw Jess coming toward the door. "I can't really hear you well," she lied, "I'll call you back later."

"Okay, just don't forget."

"I won't, bye." Rory hung up the phone just as Jess came outside.

"Who was that?" Jess asked her.

"Oh uhm, it was just Paris."

"Oh, what did she want?"

"Just talking to me about arrangements for school. She was able to get us a dorm together already."

"Oh, alright." Jess said, and took her hand. "Do you wanna maybe catch a movie when I get off work?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Alright." Jess kissed her forehead and went back into the diner.

Rory drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prayed that that was the last time she'd have to lie to Jess about Logan.


	5. The Best Part Of Believe Is The Lie

**December Bells Chapter Five : The Best Part Of Believe Is The Lie**

Rory was sitting in her room while "Satellite Of Love" filled the air. She was trying her best to pack some things for Yale, but her mind was too distracted. Why had Logan called? What was he going to say to her when they actually did see each other? That was, if they did.

What was she thinking? Of course they would see eachother. They go to the same school. Given, it is a very big campus, but it's hard to avoid a person for an entire year while living in the same place, and actually succeeding at it. But she couldn't meet with him behind Jess's back. She could attempt to tell him though, right? And if he knew, she wouldn't have to feel guilty about it.

Rory moved from her dresser over to the window. She lifted the white, lace curtain to the side. Outside, she could see her mother talking to Babette and Maury. Babette was hosing down one of her many lawn gnomes, and it looked like she was telling a story to Lorelai. Her hands were waving widly around the air, as she accidentally squirted Maury in the face with the hose. She intently watched as her mother fiddled with the locket around her neck. She knew that every time she touched it, she was thinking of Luke, because every time that Rory touched hers, she thought of Jess.

Rory's thoughts haulted when her cell phone started to ring again. As she walked over to her vanity to retrieve it, a great hope that the phone call was coming from anyone other than Logan rose up in her throat. She bit her lip, flipped open her phone, closed her eyes, and said in a low voice, "Hello?"

"Ror-" the phone cut off. Rory couldn't figure out who it was.

"Hello?"

"I... so tha.. decora..th...orm."

"Paris?"

"Uhh..ess."

"Paris, I can't hear you. You're breaking up. I'll call you back later." Rory hung up the phone, relieved, and went back over to her window.

This time, though, she was focusing on Jasper. The small kitten that Jess and her had found a few months ago. He was at Lorelai's feet. He'd gotten so much bigger over the course of three months. Jasper had taken quite a liking to Lorelai, as soon as Rory brought him home. He went wherever Lorelai went, and, like a dog, sat by the door until she came home. Luke, surprisingly, had even grown a liking to the little guy. They were like a family, in a weird way. Mother, father, and cat.

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The cafe was small. A place that Rory had never been before. In her opinion, it was a bit too cutesy for her. This was the kind of place that her and her mother would mock and never set foot in, with it's big plush chairs and neon, funky looking tables. But, this is where Logan asked her to meet him.

She didn't tell Jess that she was meeting him, because she knew that shew as kidding herself if she believed that Jess would actually go for the idea. So, instead, she lied to him. She told him that she was meeting Paris so that they could figure out who needed to bring what for their dorm at school. She didn't like lying to Jess like that, about something so big. As big as meeting up with the ex-boyfriend that she left for Jess. As big as even being in contact with him anymore. Everyone knew that Jess was the jealous type, and she just didn't want to get him mad.

Rory went up to the counter and took a seat on a bright orange, furry stool, that had shoes on the end of the legs. The plush material sank as she sat on it, leaving an impeccable imprint of her butt. She looked down at the menu, and realized that this was the only cafe she'd ever been to that didn't serve regular coffee. It took about five minutes to get the attention of the young, numerously peirced girl behind the counter to take her order of a bottle of water, and it took even longer for Rory to actually get her water.

Rory glanced at her watch, 4:15. Logan was supposed to meet her there at 4:00. Fifteen minutes and half a bottle of water. Rory decided it was time for cake. After waving down the disturbing looking girl once more and ordering a piece of cheesecake, Rory was about ready to bail. She decided that if Logan didn't show in the next five minutes, she'd leave.

4:20..4:21..4:22..4:23..4:24...

Rory felt a hand lay lightly on her right shoulder blade. It was Logan. She knew by the way he touched her, without even having to look at his face. She bit her lip, layed down her fork next to her plate, and turned around. He greeted her with a big hug, and kissed her softly on the cheek. The awkwardness of the moment sent a shiver up Rory's spine, and made her feel guilty, before words were even spoken.

"Hi." Rory said, with a bit of a shakey voice.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I know that you hate that, but I couldn't find my keys, and there was a lot of traffic coming from my parents' house." Logan was wearing a bright green polo t-shirt and a pair of fitted, light wash jeans. His thick, blonde hair was messy as usual, and his shirt brought out the blue in his eyes. Rory had always thought him to be handsome.

"It's okay. I had a bonding experience with a piece of cake."

"Not a surprise." Logan sat down next to Rory in an equally fuzzy, equally bright, purple stool, that had flippers on the end of the legs. He looked around as if he'd never been to this place before, and made a face when he saw the girl behind the counter, with her bright pink hair and too-tight tank top. "Sorry about the location. I asked my sister if she knew of any places around here and she gave me the name of this one. I guess I should have figured that a place called Fuzz would be a little too hip for me."

Rory laughed, politely, while all she really wanted was to get this over with. She was feeling so uncomfortable and didn't like being here. She just had a feeling that Jess would walk in at any moment, and things would just be havoc.

Logan turned his stool to the left so that he was facing Rory. "So," he said, letting out an awkward breath, "anything on the menu good?"

"Look, Logan.. I don't want to be rude," Rory started, and slowed down, surprising herself by her aggressive tone, "but what is this all about?"

"What do you mean?" a small trace of hurt spread over Logan's evenly tanned face.

Rory took in a deep breath and pushed her plate to the side. She picked up her water bottle and took a swig, then placed the cap back on top. "You know what I mean. We don't talk at all, the whole summer, and then you call me out of no where, telling me that you need to talk to me. So come on, what do you need to talk about?"

Logan opened his mouth, as if he were going to start talking, but soon got distracted by something in the direction of the door.

Rory looked at him, "What? What are you looking at."

Logan simply lifted his hand and gestured toward the door. Rory's jaw dropped as she saw Paris, storming toward the glass exterior of the cafe, locking the door to her blue civic behind her. The expression on her face scared Rory a little bit, but she was used to that kind of thing. As Paris swung open the door, Rory jumped up. "Paris! What are you doing here?"

"I called your mother to ask where you were, because you weren't answering your cell phone, as usual." Paris looked down at Logan, surprised to see him with Rory. She quickly grabbed a hold of Rory's arm and pulled her aside. "What are you doing here with Logan? I thought you got back with Jess."

Rory moved a piece of hair out of her eye, and tucked back into her sloppy ponytail. "I am with Jess. But, Logan called me and asked me to meet him, he said he needed to talk to me aobut something."

"About what?"

"Well, I was just going to find out before you walked in. So, why are you here?"

"The other night when I dropped by, I left a few books at your house. They were my cousins and he needs them back in like twenty minutes because he's going back to school. So, I need to get them."

"Well, I can't leave now. I'm busy."

"Rory.. I need those books."

"Alright, go back to my house and ask my mother, she's home."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll call you later." Paris turned to walk away, then turned back to Rory. "Oh, and," she gestured to Logan, "good luck with that."

Rory watched Paris get into her car and drive away, thinking of what Logan was going to say. She wanted to just run after Paris and leave, but she knew that she couldn't. She knew that she needed to talk to Logan and get this over with so that there could be peace between the two of them. But she knew that walking over to Logan and listening to what he had to say, was most likely going to dig her in even deeper. It would make things awkward between her in Jess, because she would know something that he didn't, and that's not the way she wanted it.

Rory slowly turned around and walked back over to Logan. She picked up her purse, checked her cell phone for any missed calls, and sat back down on the fuzzy orange stool. "So," she said, almost out of breath, "you were saying.."

"I miss you."

Rory looked down in her lap. Awkward.

"I know that you're with Jess. I know that you love him, and I know I'm not going to get you back. But, as stupid as it sounds, that doesn't do it for me."

"Logan.."

"No, just let me finish, alright?"

Rory nodded and gestured for him to contiune.

"I don't expect you to leave Jess for me, and I'm not suggesting that you cheat on him with me or anything like that.. I just.. I want to be in your life again. And, if just being your friend is as close as I'm going to get, then so be it. I don't want you to just be another girl that I dated. You know that you were one of the few that I got very serious with. Heck, you were the first girl I called my girlfriend and actually meant it with. So I don't want you to just rush out of my life because I wasn't the right guy for you. You obviously meant a lot to me."

"Logan, you know that you meant a lot to me too."

"Well," he said, with an agitated look on his face, "then why have you been avoiding me these past months?"

"The phone rings both ways, ya know."

"Yeah, but you were supposed to call me."

"Uhmm.. I was?" Rory said, confused.

"Yes. You dumped me. I didn't want to call you and put pressure on you. But in the end, I had to. We still go to the same school, Rory."

"I know! I just.. I though that you'd hate me by now. So, I stayed away."

"Well, that was obviously wrong."

"Yeah. I guess it was." Rory focused on the floor, looking defeated. She brushed her foot over the purple and green tiled floor, thinking of what to say next. She fiddled with her locket, and, as usual, Jess flew through her mind. He wouldn't like this. Not at all. She started to picture him in Stars Hollow, behind Luke's counter.. and then her thoughts trailed off as she realized something. "Oh my God, Star's Hollow!"

"What?" Logan said, startled by the volume of Rory's voice. "What's the matter?"

"Paris!"

"What about her?"

"I told her to go back to Stars Hollow to pick something up from my house! What if Jess sees her?" Rory got up and started pacing. "I have to go. Right now."

"So what if Jess sees Paris?" Logan asked, completely thrown off by Rory's sudden outburst.

"I told Jess that I was meeting Paris for lunch. If he sees her in town, he's going to wonder why I lied to him."

Hurt swept over Logan's face. "Why did you lie to him?" he asked, softly.

"I just. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I didn't want Jess to blow it out of proportion. He tends to get jealous really easily. But, if I don't get to Stars Hollow before Paris, he will go nuts. So, I have to go."

"Wait. Can you, give me a ride?"

"Are you kidding me, Logan?" Rory sounded annoyed. "I just told you that I need to leave right now."

"Well, I had to get a ride from a buddy because my car's in the shop. I was hoping this would go well and you'd drive me home."

"Fine. Where are you going? I hope it's near by."

The two walked quickly to Rory's car, hopping in and driving off. "Are you going to tell him?" Logan asked.

"Tell who? What?"

"Tell Jess. That you met with me today."

"Oh, I don't know. If it comes up, yeah."

The two drove in silence until they reached the house of a friend of Logan's. As Logan got up, Rory said, "What would you have done if it ended badly and I didn't drive you home?"

Logan leaned his head in and said, "Hitch hiked I guess." He smiled and closed the door. Rory watched him hop up the steps and smiled. Then, she drove off as quickly as she could. She hoped to God that Paris would go straight to her house and straight back to Hartford.


End file.
